Do Buffer Zone Programs Improve Local Livelihoods and Support Biodiversity Conservation? The Case of Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal

Silwal, Thakur; Devkota, Bishnu Prasad; Poudel, Prabin; Morgan, Mark

doi:10.1177/19400829221106670

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(58 reference statements)

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“…No identifiable information will be disclosed in any reports or publications. Each respondent's consent (as "yes") was documented on the questionnaire after the assurance of confidentiality and privacy of information was delivered [27]. Some interviews were only possible after two or more visits to meet concerned people due to their busy livelihood schedules.…”

Section: Household Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Asiatic Black Bear–Human Conflict: A Case Study from Guthichaur Rural Municipality, Jumla, Nepal

Rawal,

Timilsina,

Gautam

et al. 2024

Animals

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Our study assessed patterns of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus)–human conflicts within the Guthichaur rural municipality, Jumla, Nepal. Through semi-structured interviews with villagers, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs), we gathered black bear–human conflict information from 2009 to 2019. We identified three primary types of black bear–human interactions: crop damage, livestock depredation, and human injuries. Of these, crop damage (77.03%) emerged as the most prevalent issue. Notably, peak occurrences were observed during autumn (September–October) typically between 9 PM and 3 AM. Livestock depredations were more frequent during nighttime in April–August, with cows/ox (70.12%) being the most depredated animal. Our data also revealed five recorded cases of black bear attacks on humans, which transpired from September to October, primarily in farmland areas in varying years. Despite a prevailing negative perception of bears, a notable level of support exists for their conservation efforts among local communities. Furthermore, these conflicts could be mitigated by reinforcing indigenous crop protection methods and implementing targeted mitigation strategies, as observed in other regions with successful black bear–human interaction management.

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Section: Household Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A total of 84 households owned 528 livestock, including cows/ox, buffalo, horses, sheep, and goats. The most reared livestock was cows/ox, comprising 61.17% (323) of the total livestock, followed by goats, buffalo, horses, and sheep, at 16.48% (87), 9.28% (49), 7.96% (42), and 5.11% (27), respectively.…”

Section: Livestock Holding and Depredationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asiatic Black Bear–Human Conflict: A Case Study from Guthichaur Rural Municipality, Jumla, Nepal

Rawal,

Timilsina,

Gautam

et al. 2024

Animals

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“…In addition, local residents' perceptions of PA-people relationships since the BZ programme's implementation may also be influenced by knowledge, trust and satisfaction with the implemented programmes and involved stakeholders. Although many PAs have adopted BZ or PRS approaches, the effectiveness of such programmes in reducing PA-people conflict or improving PA-people relationships is still unclear (Dhakal & Thapa 2015, Lamichhane et al 2019, Silwal et al 2022. Understanding whether and how local people perceive the benefits and burdens of such programmes and how that relates to their perception of change in the PA-people relationship is important to identifying effective benefit-sharing strategies (Swemmer et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived benefits, burdens and effectiveness of a buffer zone programme in improving protected area–people relationships

Dixit,

Poudyal,

Silwal

et al. 2024

Envir. Conserv.

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Summary Programmes focused on buffer zones (BZs) and park revenue-sharing (PRS) are aimed at sharing protected area (PA) benefits with local communities to meet their development needs and, in turn, improve the PA–people relationship. However, whether and how these programmes improve public attitudes towards PAs is little understood. We assessed how residents perceive the benefit and burdens of Nepal’s BZ programme, which shares up to 50% of PA revenue with communities, and how this process relates to their perceptions of change in the PA–people relationship since the BZ programme was implemented. Survey results from 2122 households in the BZs of six PAs showed that residents’ perceptions of PA–people relationships had improved since the BZ programme’s implementation. Furthermore, the perceived trend in the PA–people relationship was positively related to the perception of benefits and satisfaction with coordination between the PA and local government; it was negatively related to perceived burdens of BZ-related laws in rural development, history of damage/loss from wildlife and misunderstandings of the purpose behind BZ funds being given to local communities. These findings provide valuable insights for PA managers in Nepal and worldwide in designing new or improving existing mechanisms of benefit-sharing with local people and to improve PA–people relationships.

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“…Several scholars have used MaxEnt for HWC risk zone mapping ( Sharma et al, 2020a ; Sharma et al, 2020b ; Adhikari et al, 2022a ; Khosravi et al, 2023 ). Most HWC research has focused on quantifying damage, wildlife species involved, and human perceptions of conflicts ( Treves et al, 2006 ; Silwal, Kolejka & Sharma, 2016 ; Silwal et al, 2017 ; Ruda, Kolejka & Silwal, 2018 ; Ruda, Kolejka & Silwal, 2020 ; Shahi et al, 2022 ; Silwal et al, 2022 ). This study explored a new dimension of MaxEnt by analyzing common leopard depredation events in the Gorkha district for three years (2019-2021) to create a three-way classification (high, medium, and low) of conflict risk zones.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying risk zones and landscape features that affect common leopard depredation

Silwal,

Neupane,

Raut

et al. 2024

PeerJ

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Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a pressing issue worldwide but varies by species over time and place. One of the most prevalent forms of HWC in the mid-hills of Nepal is human-common-leopard conflict (HLC). Leopard attacks, especially in forested areas, can severely impact villagers and their livestock. Information on HLC in the Gorkha district was scarce, thus making it an ideal location to identify high-risk zones and landscape variables associated with such events. Registered cases were collected and reviewed from the Division Forest Office (DFO) during 2019-2021. Claims from DFO records were confirmed with herders and villagers via eight focus group discussions. To enhance modeling success, researchers identified a total of 163 leopard attack locations on livestock, ensuring a minimum distance of at least 100 meters between locations. Using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and considering 13 environmental variables, we mapped common leopard attack risk zones. True Skill Statistics (TSS) and area under receiver-operator curve (AUC) were used to evaluate and validate the Output. Furthermore, 10 replications, 1,000 maximum iterations, and 1000 background points were employed during modeling. The average AUC value for the model, which was 0.726 ± 0.021, revealed good accuracy. The model performed well, as indicated by a TSS value of 0.61 ± 0.03. Of the total research area (27.92 km2), about 74% was designated as a low-risk area, 19% as a medium-risk area, and 7% as a high-risk area. Of the 13 environmental variables, distance to water (25.2%) was the most significant predictor of risk, followed by distance to road (16.2%) and elevation (10.7%). According to response curves, the risk of common leopard is highest in the areas between 1.5 to 2 km distances from the water sources, followed by the closest distance from a road and an elevation of 700 to 800 m. Results suggest that managers and local governments should employ intervention strategies immediately to safeguard rural livelihoods in high-risk areas. Improvements include better design of livestock corrals, insurance, and total compensation of livestock losses. Settlements near roads and water sources should improve the design and construction of pens and cages to prevent livestock loss. More studies on the characteristics of victims are suggested to enhance understanding of common leopard attacks, in addition to landscape variables. Such information can be helpful in formulating the best management practices.

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Do Buffer Zone Programs Improve Local Livelihoods and Support Biodiversity Conservation? The Case of Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal

Cited by 6 publications

References 33 publications

Asiatic Black Bear–Human Conflict: A Case Study from Guthichaur Rural Municipality, Jumla, Nepal

Asiatic Black Bear–Human Conflict: A Case Study from Guthichaur Rural Municipality, Jumla, Nepal

Perceived benefits, burdens and effectiveness of a buffer zone programme in improving protected area–people relationships

Identifying risk zones and landscape features that affect common leopard depredation

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